What is the recommended dose of etodolac (Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug - NSAID) for adults?

Etodolac Dosing for Adults

For acute pain, etodolac should be dosed at 200-400 mg every 6-8 hours, with a maximum daily dose of 1000 mg, while for osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, the recommended starting dose is 300 mg twice or three times daily, 400 mg twice daily, or 500 mg twice daily. 1

Acute Pain Management

• Administer 200-400 mg every 6-8 hours for acute pain relief 1
• Do not exceed 1000 mg total daily dose 1
• Doses above 1000 mg/day have not been adequately evaluated in controlled trials 1
• The duration of analgesic effect from a single 200-400 mg dose is longer than aspirin 2

Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis

Starting dose options include: 1

• 300 mg twice daily (600 mg/day)
• 300 mg three times daily (900 mg/day)
• 400 mg twice daily (800 mg/day)
• 500 mg twice daily (1000 mg/day)

Maintenance Dosing

• A lower maintenance dose of 600 mg/day may suffice for long-term administration 1
• Therapeutic response is typically observed within 1-2 weeks, though some patients respond within one week 1
• The 200 mg/day dose (given as 100 mg twice daily) is the minimum effective dose for rheumatoid arthritis, though 400-600 mg/day is more consistently efficacious 3, 4
• Review and adjust the dose after achieving satisfactory response 1

Important Dosing Considerations

Maximum Daily Dose

• Doses above 1000 mg/day have not been adequately evaluated and should be avoided 1

Renal Impairment

• Dosage adjustment is generally not required in mild to moderate renal impairment 1
• Use with caution as etodolac may further decrease renal function in patients with impaired renal function 1

Comparative Efficacy

• Etodolac 400 mg twice daily (800 mg/day) demonstrates comparable efficacy to naproxen 1000 mg/day and nabumetone 1500 mg/day 5
• Etodolac 200 mg/day is comparable to aspirin 3900 mg/day in efficacy 3

Administration Schedule

The twice-daily dosing regimen (bid) is preferred for chronic conditions as it provides comparable efficacy to more frequent dosing while improving compliance 5. The 400 mg bid and 200 mg qid schedules showed equivalent efficacy in controlled trials 5.